Means for raising sunken vessels.



J. SKATSGHKOPP. MEANS FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS.

APPLICATION FILED D130. 17, 1009.

994,61 1. Patented June 6,1911.

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994,61 1 Patented June 6, 1911.

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JAMES SKATSCHKOFF, OF ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA.

MEANS FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES SKATSCIIKOFIF, a subject of the Emperor ofRussia, and a resident of 1 Degtiarnoipereoulok, St. Petersburg, Russia,practical engineer, have invented a new and useful Means for RaisingSunken Vessels, of which the following is a specification.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of the caseemployed for in closing the upper portion of a vessel to be raised. Fig.2 is a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is a partly diagrammatic side view,with portions broken away, of a sunken vessel having the apparatus forraising it applied thereto as in practice.

In carrying out the invention, a case or casing is made of waterprooftarpaulin which is open at the bottom, the plan view of the easeresembling the form of the vessel which is to be raised. The case thusconsists of a top portion and side walls, which latter extend down farenough to inclose the upper portion of the hull of the vessel.

In order to raise a sunken vessel the usual practice is to apply thehoisting power of air bags, barrels and other arrangements, bysuspending the vessel which it is intended to raise to them, or thevessel is raised by means of a floating crane. In both cases the vesselrepresents dead Weight which it is necessary to raise. In the proposedmeans of raising of sunken vessels, this latter does not form a deadweight, but becomes a selfraising apparatus in View of which fact thewater filling it is discharged and replaced with air.

On cutting down the masts and high chimneys, the case is let down withthe aid of divers upon the vessel and the sides of this latter aregrasped by the walls of the case which are fastened in some way to thesides of the vessel. For this purpose, for instance, several rows ofsteel ropes e, c, c, furnished with tightening devices, are fastened tothe lower edge of the case. WVhen the case has been placed upon thevessel and the ropes have been tightened, the whole arrangement willhave the appearance shown in Fig. 3. Two series of pipes forSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 17, 1909.

Patented June 6, 1911.

Serial No. 533,682.

air delivery 5, Z) and water suction a, a, pass through the cover of thecase (as at 0, 0, (Z, (Z) the ends of the latter must be let down nearthe bottom of the vessel and the former can end at the very cover. Afterthe case has been placed upon the vessel and made fast on the same, theyform a closed space filled with water, which has to be forced out andreplaced with air in order that the vessel may obtain buoyancy. This isattained by the delivery of air through pipes 71, I) and in the case ofnecessity by pumping out the water through pipes a, a, keeping up thepressure of the air in accordance with the depth at which the vessel hassunk. lVhen the water inside the vessel has been replaced with air itobtains immense hoisting power, while the dead weight is reduced by anamount equal to the weight of all the water which filled it and thevessel floats up. When the vessel is being raised the exterior pressurewill become less and therefore, automatic safety-valves must beinstalled in the ease, in order to balance it with the interiorpressure. Under these con ditions the material of the case hardlyundergoes any tension and therefore the danger of its tearing apart isdone away with. It is of course understood that the calculation fordetermining the strength of all the parts must be made specially foreach separate case.

"What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. For raising sunken vessels, the apparatus hereinbefore described, thesame comprising an airand water-proof case having pendent sides and aclosed top and the general form of the vessel which is to be raised,whereby it is adapted to be applied over the upper portion of thevessel, means for securing such case to the hull of the vessel, andpipes attached to the case and serving to remove water and admit air,substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus for raising sunken vessels, an airand water-proofcase formed of flexible material and made of a size and shapecorresponding to the vessel over whose upper portion it is to beapplied,

ropes having fastening devices and adapted In testimony whereof, I havesigned my to be passed around the vessel lengthwise name to th1sspeelfioatlon in the presence of thereof and over the lower edge of thecase two subsoriblng Witnesses.

for clamping the case tightly to the hull, JAMES SKATSCHKOFF. and waterand air pipes forming an attaoh- Witnesses:

ment of the upper portion of the case, as H. A. LOVIAGUINE,

shown and described. A. TSOHERALOFF.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of I'atents, Washington, D. G.

